VOLLEYBALL ADDS DIV. I TRANSFER AND LOCAL PRODUCT MADELINE CANNON

Jan 24, 2014

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Hornet head volleyball coach Ruben Volta announced today that former Santa Clara middle blocker Madeline Cannon has transferred to Sacramento State and will begin attending classes at the University on Monday.

Cannon, who is a freshman, is eligible to play for Sacramento State this spring when the team begins its sand season. The Sacramento, Calif., native and Rio Americano High School product has four years of sand eligibility and three years of indoor eligibility remaining.

Cannon spent the 2013 indoor season at Santa Clara of the West Coast Conference. Playing behind a pair of senior middle blockers, the 6-foot-1 Cannon appeared in 11 matches, including five starts and 26 sets played. She finished the season with 25 kills, seven digs and seven blocks while averaging 1.21 kills per set against conference competition. That included a season-best six kills and .667 hitting percentage against Portland.

Cannon played the past two summers for the Northern California Volleyball Club (NCVC) where she was coached by current Hornet assistant Jason Borchin. She was the starting middle blocker for both teams, including the Girls 18s squad that finished fifth in the nation in the Open Division at the 2013 Junior Nationals.

"Madeline is a great athlete who can play any position on the front row," Volta said. "She was a very accomplished middle blocker in high school, and played middle at the highest level of club. We look forward to working with her, and she will contribute right away."

Cannon enjoyed a dominant high school career at Rio Americano where she was a two-time all-state, four-time first team all-Capital League and three-time Sacramento Bee All-Metro selection. She finished her four-year varsity career with 1,344 kills, 309 blocks, 480 digs and a .439 hitting percentage.

She raised her kills per set average all four years of her prep career, culminating in 5.14 kills per set during a senior season in which she was a first team all-state selection. She helped lead Rio Americano to a four-year combined record of 115-42 overall and 42-10 in conference. In addition, the Raiders never finished lower than second place in the league standings during her tenure.

Sacramento State's sand volleyball season will begin on Wednesday, March 19, at Saint Mary's. The schedule includes 11 matches, seven of which will be played at home. That includes the home opener against Cal Poly on April 4. All home sand matches are played at the Sacramento Softball Complex.